In the 1960s and 1970s two remarkable men led OMF International. The General Director was Michael Griffiths, the public face of the mission. The other was the Overseas Director, Denis Lane, who was responsible for its daily running. He was the man who turned vision into reality.
Born in Worthing, in 1949 he graduated from London University with a Law degree. The next year he started training for CofE ministry at Oak Hill. The Vice-Principal at the time was Alan Stibbs, who had served with OMF’s predecessor, China Inland Mission. Denis then went to a curacy in Deptford while completing the London University BD. A second curacy followed in Cambridge before, in 1960, with his wife June, he joined CIM/OMF to serve in Malaya. Isabel Kuhn’s book Ascent to the Tribes was instrumental in leading them to this ministry. They went with their young son and spent six years in the South Perak district.
Cultural understanding
The OMF leadership soon noted the quality of Denis’ mind and ministry and he was invited to join the staff at the International Headquarters in Singapore, overseeing the work of OMF throughout East Asia. Many Asian members were entering OMF and there was a need for structures that would form support bases in the various countries of Asia. Here Denis’ clear thinking, combined with his deep understanding of the cultural issues, was invaluable. His insights were distilled into his most popular book One World, Two Minds. The rapport that he established with the Asian sending countries made him an obvious choice to be the first Director of Home Ministries from1982 to 1988.
Denis was not only a man of prayer, but was highly regarded as a Bible expositor. He enjoyed music and was a gifted musician. He was a very private man who learned to rely on his personal walk with God, from whom he drew strength. He and June retired to Rustington in 1994 and settled into St Margaret’s Angmering.
